In my team: Lyon

How many members of staff do you have?

In total, Lyon has a team of 90 staff working in the business covering all departments from distribution, training, manufacturing and logistics. Within that, we have a number of teams focusing on specific parts of the business – whether that is cycle, outdoor, watersports or work and rescue.

Who’s your most passionate cyclist?

That’s a tough call! Most of our staff are passionate about cycling. Having said that, we have some stiff competition for that title this year as one of our marketing assistants recently spent time bikepacking the Annapurna circuit, one of our sales reps rode a CX bike from Southsea to the top of Snowdon, and the head of sales admin team commutes in by bike regardless of weather – most recently on a fat bike, until his chain froze!

Who are the longest-standing members of staff?

Company founder Ben Lyon wins hands down on that one, starting the company in 1973 and then building Lyon into the company it is today. As our chairman, he’s still involved on a daily basis.

What are your current team goals?

Our goal is simple – to continue to bring the element of adventure to the cycle market and to lead the way in this segment. Doing that means having the right brand partners, ensuring we have a passionate and experienced team to support our customers, and building on our involvement in the right events so we can engage closely with the riding community.

What projects are you working on that the industry should know about?

We really know how to fill our plates here at Lyon, so this September we have the return of the award- winning Adventure Cycle Festival in Ambleside. We are progressing Bombtrack bikes to a full distribution model and building our dealer network for the brand, while maintaining the strong momentum we are seeing with Ortlieb. In addition, we are heavily involved as sponsors of key events such as The Dirty Reiver with Ortlieb and Bombtrack and Ard Rock Enduro with Julbo eyewear. It’s a busy year for the team here.

If people get in touch, who will they be talking to?

Our team of dedicated cycle reps will be the first point of contact for sales enquiries. They are supported by our brand management team, who offer additional support specific to each brand we offer.

What are your greatest strengths as a company?

Our quality of service is our greatest strength. We offer top quality brands backed up by expert knowledge and in-depth stockholding. Our commitment to our customers also extends beyond just sales, with our after-sales team offering continued support, spare parts and in-house repair facilities.

What sets you apart from other companies in the industry?

We are the one-stop shop for adventure cycling. Our strapline ‘Venture Further’ runs in our DNA. With great cycle brands like Ortlieb, Bombtrack and Tubus complemented by our outdoor brands, it means we can offer everything you could need for a round-the-world bike adventure in one box, which we feel is a very unique offering to the cycle market.

What motivates the team?

We all share a passion for riding our bikes and having adventures, and getting to combine this with working alongside likeminded people and some of the best brands on the market means there is never a shortage of motivation in the team, just hours in the day.

What do you do to have fun as a group?

Having access to some of the best outdoor and cycle kit on the market and being based on the edge of the Lake District, we don’t struggle to find ways to entertain ourselves. We finish at 2pm on a Friday, which means most Friday afternoons you will find our staff out on the hills, trails, lakes and crags as a group just having fun in our local playground.

Tell us about past and recent successes.

Last summer we launched the Adventure Cycle Festival, an event based around our vision of adventure cycling which brought likeminded brands from the cycle and the outdoor industry together to offer a unique weekend in the heart of the Lake District. With Mark Beaumont as our headline speaker and workshops on everything from pack rafting to wheel building, it was a fantastic event. Needless to say we are super excited to be bringing it back again this year and to make it bigger and better.